Saravanaa Bhavan

Another Saravana Bhavan offering a range of South Indian dishes and Options to dine in, take away or order online. Getting there: Didn't check the public transport option but driving is the best choice. Ensure you stick to the left most lane given the entry is easy to miss otherwise. Staff and Service: The restaurant is extremely busy and do expect delays especially on weekends. The staff are really service oriented though and are willing to take suggestions. Definitely a good experience. Food and options: Compared to other popular options this one seemed to lack a few signature dishes such as North Indian Options, Fresh Lime soda etc. (despite this being South Indian restaurant other branches do serve both cuisines). This may be because of the crowded hour. The main reason for 3 stars is the taste of the food not being authentic and appealing. Not though that it was based on a one off experience and I am sure given its popularity it was just that - one off aberration! So give it a try.

Onion masala dosa - Crispy and tasty. The potato masala however requires slight improvement. It was plain. Good for kids. They gave chilli on side when requested. 3.5/5 Vada - It was freshly made. One of the best so far in Melbourne. So crispy and the inside was well cooked. 5/5 Thali - Didn't like the roti, too dry and thick, more like parotta. Next time, I will choose puri instead of roti. However, the whole thali was good. It would be better if they explain a bit more about the different curries in the thali for people like me who don't know much about South-Indian curries. I asked the attendant, she politely explained they were all non-spicy south-Indian curries and she took all the names of the curries as it was in the menu. Anyways we figured which is what and what combination is best to eat them with. Payasam in the thali was my most favourite. 4/5 Service - Both human and robot were efficient. It was lunch-time rush, and they managed to maintain excellent customer service. 4.5/5

The food was so delicious. I have ordered Mini Tifin as I wanted to try different dishes. It comes with mini dosa, one vada, pongal, Kesari, mini idlys, sambar and two chutneys. I can’t complaint on any. It was all tasty and better than many other South Indian restaurants here. My friend tried Madras coffee and said it was good too. We made the order using the QR code and was quick. The robot brought the order without any delay. Everything was neat and clean, looks okay. The quantity is not much for the price, but is good enough to fill an average person. Overall the food I had was good and Saravanaa Bhavan doesn’t disappoint me.

Quality of meals has drastically gone down over the years. Thali has bisibelabath and sambar rice both taste same. Same old menu for the last few years nothing new added, still surprised that a South Indian restaurant doesn’t serve biriyani. Mini tiffin was served cold and reheated based on request. Wash and toilet area was very dirty and stinky.